Nominations for provincial 2016 Heritage Awards now open

The search for Alberta’s heritage heroes is on and Albertans are encouraged to help honour outstanding contributions to heritage preservation.

Big Valley's "Little Blue Church"

“Whether it is dedicated volunteers sharing their passion for local history at the community museum or municipal leaders conserving cherished landmark buildings, Albertans are working hard to preserve and share Alberta’s past. Help us honour those whose efforts are keeping our history alive for future generations by nominating a local heritage hero today.”

Ricardo Miranda, Minister of Culture and Tourism

“Across Alberta, we are seeing a growing awareness and appreciation of our province’s history and historic resources. The 2016 Heritage Awards are an opportunity to recognize those whose efforts enable us to share our province’s history with all Albertans and with visitors from around the world.”

Dr. Laurel Halladay, Chair, Alberta Historical Resources Foundation

The Alberta Historical Resources Foundation Heritage Awards are awarded every two years and recognize the outstanding achievements of Albertans engaged in heritage preservation, protection and promotion.

Awards are presented in four categories: Heritage Conservation, Heritage Awareness, Municipal Heritage Preservation and Outstanding Achievement. The Heritage Conservation category was expanded in 2014 and nominations will now be accepted for projects involving the conservation and interpretation of palaeontological and archaeological resources. Self-nominations will also be accepted.

Recent recipients have included:

Oliver Glanfield (Fort Chipewyan, Outstanding Achievement)

For more than 20 years, Oliver Glanfield has worked tirelessly promoting the community of Fort Chipewyan, Alberta’s oldest European settlement, contributing countless volunteer hours to share the community’s rich heritage and vibrant past.

Emerson Sanford and Janice Sanford Beck (Canmore, Heritage Awareness)

This father-daughter team co-authored an eight-volume Life of the Trail book series sharing an exhaustive knowledge of the history of travel in the Canadian Rockies, from Jasper/Mount Robson in the north to the Kananaskis Lakes in the south – one trail at a time. From early Native use of the trails through to the 1930s, the Life of the Trail series provides a unique telling of the early travel and exploration of the Rocky Mountains.

City of Medicine Hat (Municipal Heritage Preservation)

The City of Medicine Hat has, in challenging circumstances, made great strides in recognizing and managing the community’s rich heritage. Numerous projects have been undertaken to protect and promote its built heritage and landscapes including establishment of a Municipal Historic Area, identifying the city’s heritage trees, implementation of the Centennial Certificate program to commemorate century-old buildings and efforts in support of owners of historic buildings and preservation of heritage resources damaged in the devastating floods of 2013.

The 2016 Heritage Awards recipients will be honoured at Calgary’s historic McDougall Centre on October 14. Since 2005, 45 awards have been presented recognizing the outstanding contributions of individuals, organizations, municipalities and businesses in preserving and promoting appreciation of Alberta’s heritage.

Full details and nominations forms are available online. Deadline for nominations is July 15.